Bourbon isn’t just a category of spirits—it’s a culture. The best bourbons are highly sippable and collectible, which is why this beloved category of American whiskey lends its signature smooth flavor to everything from maple syrup to candles. According to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, over 28.4 million cases of bourbon were sold last year. Clearly, it’s not going out of fashion anytime soon. 

If you haven’t sipped much bourbon without a mixer, learning quality and what’s worth collecting for your home bar can be a steep task. “What’s most important is that it’s subjective,” says Bill Thomas, a renowned whiskey expert and the owner of Jack Rose Dining Saloon in Washington, D.C. “If you think it’s amazing and you enjoy drinking it, start there.” 

In order to make your shopping a little easier, we consulted the experts to find the category standouts varying in budget, availability, and use. Although we do choose the best straight sipper, we’d happily serve any of these neat, no ice or mixer required.

• Best Expression of the Category: New Southern Revival Brand Jimmy Red Straight Bourbon Whiskey
• Best Value: Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond
• Best for Cocktails: Four Roses Bourbon Yellow Label or Single Label
• Best Enjoyed Neat: Willet Pot Still Reserve
• Best Gift: Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year
• Best Everyday Drinker: Buffalo Trace 
• Best Innovative Bottle: Wilderness Trail 6 Year

Our Top Picks

Best Expression of the Category: New Southern Revival Brand Jimmy Red Straight Bourbon Whiskey

Tasting notes: graham cracker and vanilla with a baking spice finish

Check Price

“This bourbon is totally different from any other bourbon on the market, but what’s so interesting about it is that High Wire has really gone back to literal tradition and thought inside the box,” says Thomas. It defies the modern tradition of mixed mashbills and long aging by going back to the source: corn.

Distilled in Charleston, S.C. with a landrace corn called Jimmy Red, High Wire Distillery’s bourbon has a 100 percent corn mashbill and is only aged a minimum of two years (some bottlings might vary a little beyond that), and yet it has complex tasting notes of baking spice, graham cracker, cinnamon, and vanilla. It’s also aged in seasoned oak. “If there is a must-have bottle that most represents what ‘bourbon’ means, Jimmy Red has the benchmark of oak, vanilla, and caramel,” says Thomas.

Best Value: Evan Williams Bottled-in-Bond

Tasting notes: classic vanilla and oak with a dry finish

Check Price

Thomas is a fan of Evan Williams B-in-B because it will hold up to whatever you want to do with it. It’s retail price typically ranges from $15-19 a bottle, making it a great low-cost entry point. A double gold winner at this year’s San Francisco Spirits Competition, it has classic bourbon notes of vanilla and oak, followed by a warm, dry finish.

 Bottled-in-Bond is a US Government standard that guarantees a whiskey has been aged four years, bottled at 100 proof, and clearly labeled with the name of the distillery who made it and Distilled Spirits Plant (D.S.P.) number in which it was made and bottled. While Evan Williams, which comes out of the Heaven Hill Distillery in Bardstown, is by no means the only bottled-in-bond bourbon on the market, it’s one of the most delicious and accessible countrywide.

Best for Cocktails: Four Roses Bourbon Yellow Label or Single Barrel – 80 proof / 100 proof

Tasting notes: maple syrup, cherries, long finish

Check Price

The Four Roses family of bourbons has “something for everybody,” says Demi Natoli, a Nashville-based bartender who currently splits her time between LA Jackson and Attaboy. “The Yellow Label is great for shaken cocktails that skew a little more refreshing—it provides great results and great value—and the single barrel is wonderful for stirred and more spirit-forward cocktails.” 

The Yellow Label is aged a minimum of five years and its slightly lower proof (ideal for many whiskey cocktails) while the Single Barrel sits in charred oak for seven to nine years and is bottled higher proof. Both have won a bevy of awards throughout the years, including the Tried & True Awards from Ultimate Spirits Challenge. 

Best Enjoyed Neat: Willet Pot Still Reserve

Tasting notes: vanilla lemon cake, with light spice

Check Price

Creamy, dreamy, and a stunner on the bar cart, Thomas says the nose on this beaut is reminiscent of vanilla lemon cake. This Kentucky straight bourbon comes in a signature bottle modeled after the original Willet still blueprints. The contents are a blueprint for how pleasurable an unadulterated sip can be. “I’ll pour this when I’m in the mood for sweet, spicy creaminess,” says Chris Hannah of Jewel of the South in New Orleans. 

Best Gift to Impress: Pappy Van Winkle 23 Year Family Reserve

Tasting notes: dates, warm tobacco, and caramel with a tinge of success if you can actually find a bottle

Check Price

This is the bourbon that has transcended the category to become a cultural icon. It’s significantly aged (23 years!) and made in limited quantities (just a few thousand cases a year!), yielding a special reputation and high price to match. The demand outweighs supply, resulting in perhaps the most desirable bourbon around. Ribbons of vanilla, honey, and sweet maple weave their way through the palate, accented by citrus and spicy notes. One sip makes it obvious that you’re drinking one of the most iconic spirits in the world—one that has been crafted carefully and matured slowly in Kentucky.  It’s an amazing way to say “welcome to the family,” “thanks for the support,” or “let’s sign that deal.” 

Best Everyday Drinker: Buffalo Trace Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey 

Tasting notes: brown sugar, dark fruit, with a spicy base

Check Price

Multiple brands come out of the Buffalo Trace Distillery (including the aforementioned Pappy), but for sheer pleasure of everyday bourbon drinking with friends, Thomas suggests this namesake spirit. “There is really no bigger gift to the market than Buffalo Trace,” he explains. “It’s one of those bottles you can drink with friends without having to really think about it, and the deliciousness just enhances the overall experience with them.” A low rye mash bill creates a smooth taste with notes of mint and molasses that’s complex enough for a round sip and good neat, on ice, or even in a cocktail.

Best Innovative Bottle: Wilderness Trail 6 year Silver Label

Tasting notes: cinnamon roll, toasted oak, and if you’re going for the rye, subtle, spicy finish

Check Price

“[Shane Baker and Pat Heist] are the smartest two guys in the industry,” says Thomas. “They have reverse engineered the bourbon-making process, they ask the right questions, and they have an academic way of looking at tradition.” The two former rock band members meld science with tradition, most notably in their unique infusion mashing process, which applies a precise amount of heat to gelatinize grains’ starches without degrading quality. Combined with their sweet mash process, it brings out the delicious nuances of naturally sweet corn and peppery, spicy rye. 

The silver comes in two styles: wheated bourbon (64 percent corn, 24 percent wheat, 12 percent barley blend) rye bourbon (with 24 percent rye instead of wheat). Thomas predicts this distillery is only going to get more renowned, so this is a star bottle to add to your collection now.

Runners-Up

Our top picks are heavily based in Kentucky, and with good reason since that was bourbon’s birthplace, but it is by no means the only good bourbon-making region in the country. Here are a couple of our runners-up, and a wild card for good measure.

Hudson Whiskey Four Part Harmony Bourbon

Tasting notes: Sugared nuts, a touch of nutmeg, and vanilla

Hudson’s newest release—and oldest bourbon to date—is a reimagining of its popular four-grain bourbon that debuted a few years ago. The distillery held a few barrels back to age longer (at least seven years), and with good reason, as the four grains —corn, rye, wheat, and malted barley—have melded into a hit song. This distillery in the heart of the Hudson Valley was the first to open after Prohibition, and it is still a leader among distilleries who choose to focus on local grains suppliers. So although it may not be a Kentucky bourbon, it’s definitely of its place and time, and that’s worth a hearty cheers.

Belle Meade Reserve Bourbon

Tasting notes: caramel-drizzled stone fruits with a spicy finish

A high-proof bourbon (108.3) with a lot of rye in the mashbill, this spirit plays well for both bourbon and rye aficionados, with a rich, full mouthfeel and hefty spice notes. Brothers Andy and Charlie Nelson launched their brand with this spirit when they decided to revive their ancestor Charlie’s Nelson Greenbrier Distillery, and although they are now producing many more spirits at their downtown Nashville location, Belle Meade is as popular as it once was when ol’ Charlie debuted it in the Tennessee town in 1878. Try it in an old fashioned when you’re torn between that and a rye Manhattan. It will satisfy both sides of the palate. 

Mulholland American Whiskey

Tasting notes: oak and maple with a sweet finish

Wheat-colored and without the bourbon designation, this spirit nevertheless has 94 percent corn, 4 percent rye and 2 percent malted barley, which is more corn than many a bottle bearing the bourbon moniker. It’s a wild card, just like its creators, cinematographer Matthew Alper and actor Walton Goggins, that’s been distilled in Indiana, aged in Kentucky, and finished in California. Its highest and best use is found in cocktails beyond the old fashioned, from a Whiskey Sour to a Chilled Cider Punch. And at around $30 a bottle, it won’t break the bank for merry-making for a crowd. 

Features to Keep in Mind When Shopping for Bourbon 

Age

Technically, bourbon can be aged for any length of time, although the aging process often adds prized vanilla notes. “Straight” legally means it has been aged for two years, and “bottled-in-bond” for four years, which are both good places to start. Aging typically translates to an increase in price, as it means distillers must delay profit and dedicate storage space until their product is ready to be sold. Industry folks in-the-know often note that bourbon can be overaged, which can give the whiskey too much of the oak’s characteristics, but we’d never suggest any which suffers from such a malady. 

Blend, Small Batch, or Single Barrel

Each barrel of bourbon roughly yields 250 bottles. The smaller the bottling run (how many bottles are filled at a time), the higher the price—and more distinctive and collectable the bottle. “Blend,” “small batch,” and “single barrel” are all terms used to denote how many barrels were emptied to bottle the particular batch. A blend is a mix of multiple barrels chosen by the distiller to achieve a particular profile (and it’s the most cost friendly of these three), a mid-priced small batch uses fewer barrels for that bottling, and a top-shelf single barrel is bottled from one barrel at a time. 

Ingredients

Bourbon is the official spirit of the United States, so in order to be labeled bourbon, a whiskey must be 51% corn and produced in the USA. Most bourbons are made from a blend of corn and a wildly individual combination of wheat, barley, rye, or even alternative grains such as rice or oats. 

Distillation Process

It’s a little tricky to, well, distill the distillation process down into simple steps. Generally, water is added to grains and cooked in either a sweet mash or sour mash. The mash is then cooled, yeast is added, and the mixture is allowed to ferment. Up to this point, the process is similar to beer production, but then it goes further by boiling the resulting fermented liquid, capturing the steam, cooling it back down to a liquid, then funneling that liquid into barrels to age. 

Cask Strength

By law, bourbon cannot be made higher than 160 proof (or 80 percent ABV), with standard bourbon bottlings averaging between 80–95 proof. Typically, bourbon is “proofed down” by adding water to dilute it to the alcohol by volume the distiller desires. The term “cask strength” means that dilution did not occur and the proof, or alcohol content, is the same when the bourbon was removed from the barrel or “cask.” Cask strength proof usually ranges around 110 proof and up—high octane stuff.

Cocktails Beyond the Old Fashioned

Although the old fashioned is classic for a reason, it’s not the only cocktail that plays well with bourbon. Here are three others to add to your skill set and “wow” guests while impressing yourself a little, too. 

Mint Julep

Most associated these days with the Kentucky Derby, this mix of bourbon, simple syrup, and mint is notoriously hard to perfect. There must be copious amounts of both fresh mint and bourbon, but not simple syrup. And all must be served over crushed or pellet ice, preferably in a silver cup so as it melts, the whole effect is cooling, from the scent to the taste.

Boulevardier

A Negroni riff for cooler months, this stunner of a sipper often packs more of a wallop than its Italian cousin. The recipe was first published in 1927, but as is the case with many recipes, was most likely around long before it was written down. The bourbon provides strong, sweet support for the Campari’s bitter bite, and the expressed orange peel is more than décor—its citrus oil adds a unifying note to the two spirits.

Egg Nog

While our decadent Egg Nog recipe from chef Mary Sue Milliken incorporates rum, the cocktail is such an old recipe–the word “nog” originally referred to a small cup that held alcohol—that many other spirits have been used through its iterations, including brandy and bourbon. In fact, bourbon is such a popular mixer for the creamy concoction that Evan Williams sells a pre-mixed version. There’s no substitute for the homemade version however, particularly when served by a roaring fire. 

Ask the Experts

Q: What’s the difference between bourbon and whiskey? 

All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Here’s an example to help grasp that deductive logic: There are different types of whiskey as there are different types of birds. A stork is different than a robin like a Scotch is different than bourbon, but they are both whiskeys (and birds, respectively). 

Q: Is bourbon gluten-free? 

This all goes back to the mashbill, the whiskey world’s term for a recipe. By law, bourbon must be 51 percent corn, but that other 49 percent will more often than not include wheat and/or rye grains. Unless the bottle is made from 100 percent corn, then the answer is no. While the distillation process should remove all gluten, many distillers shy away from pronouncing their spirits gluten-free since they err on the side of safety for their customers.

Q: How long does bourbon age before you can drink it? 

There is no age requirement for bourbon. By law, it only has to be stored in a new charred oak container, so that storage technically could be minutes or decades. Once the distillate touches a new charred oak container, it legally becomes bourbon.

Q: Should I keep my bourbon in a decanter? 

“Sure, decanters look cool and all but after a month, it’s the best way to deteriorate your whiskey,” says Hannah. Keep in the original bottle with the original cap for best storage and store the bottle away from a window. If you have a large collection in storage, placing saran wrap over the cap seals can be extra insurance against exposure to air.

The post The Best Bourbons for Gifting, Mixing, and Straight-Up Sipping appeared first on Saveur.

This article originally appeared on JancisRobinson.com. 

There are three reasons why choosing wine for Thanksgiving should be as easy as pie: 
One, we’ve been doing it for hundreds of years—we’re not exactly new to the game.
Two, turkey goes with everything and anything—it’s the ultimate white-canvas food.
Three, it’s about family, friends, sharing, celebrating—the one day in the whole year when pretentiousness should be thrown out the window.

On the other hand, there are three reasons why choosing wine for Thanksgiving is fraught with danger:
One, it’s about family, friends—often a potentially explosive mix of religion, politics, cultures, values, generations, barely concealed ancient feuds (and fundamentally incompatible notions on appropriate beverages). 
Two, it’s not about the turkey—it’s everything else. The sides, oh the sides, oh my aching sides. Mashed potatoes or maple-syrup-glazed carrots? Stewed collard greens or bacon-fried brussels sprouts? Corn bread or corn pudding? Crab cakes or oysters? Pumpkin empanadas or Jell-O salad?
Three, we’ve been doing it for hundreds of years—that’s a dinner influenced by the Indigenous Americans, English, French, Irish, Scottish, Italians, Chinese, Polish, Russians, Ukrainians, West Africans, Moroccans, Thai, Mexicans, Caribbeans, Germans, Spanish, Greeks, Dutch… I could go on. The rich roll call of cultural influences on American Thanksgiving interpretations is as complex as it gets.

With this thankless gridlock on our hands, wine choices could be pared down to two broad approaches:

Option A: If your Thanksgiving table is a smorgasbord of dishes, a chaotic clash of cultures and cuisines, a potluck or a complete unknown (you’re in charge of the wine but who knows what the cook is going to come up with)—basically one in which it’s going to be nigh on impossible to “match” wines to food—then match wines to people.

Option B: If your Thanksgiving is a food-centered devotion, an homage of theme and style, then match wines to food.

As option B is fraught with a bewildering number of permutations and really only possible once one has a specific menu to hand, we’ve gone with the situation you’re most likely to find yourself in—option A.

Ignoring the patently obvious fact that I’m ignoring all shades of grey, the group gathering around your table may be defined, in relation to wine, as snobs, nerds, philistines, or all sorts, each requiring a different approach in the wine aisle. Here’s a quick guide to Thanksgiving dinner-matching success. 

Snobs—the wines should preferably be traditional, classic, prestigious, and, especially, expensive…

• Cocktail: dry martini made with Nolet’s Silver Dry Gin, a bare spritz of Martini Extra Dry vermouth and a lemon zest twist.
• Fizz: Champagne, obviously, preferably regal and magnificent; Krug or Bollinger.
• White: Burgundy, perhaps vintage 2014 or even 2002 (Comtes Lafon, Leflaive, or Roulot).
• Rosé: do snobs drink rosé? Perhaps not, but if there was going to be a rosé on the table, it would have to be Domaine Ott.
• Red: Bordeaux (Châteaux Lafite, Latour, or Mouton (Pichon Baron if you’re slumming it) or a bordeaux blend from Napa (Opus One, Shafer).
• Dessert: Sauternes (Châteaux  Suduiraut or d’Yquem) and vintage port (Taylor’s, Graham’s ).
• Post-prandial: Armagnac (Darroze, Labaude, or Laberdolive).

Nerds—you’re looking for insider wines, a little quirky, perhaps made with wild yeasts and skin contact, from little known or forgotten regions, ancient vines, unpronounceable grape varieties, or, maybe even fruits other than grapes…

• Cocktail: negroni (perhaps made with Mommenpop Blood Orange vermouth, Don Ciccio & Figli’s Luna Aperitivo, and Bluecoat American dry gin), though real wine nerds will be reaching for the fino or manzanilla sherry—an Equipo Navazos La Bota, perhaps.
• Fizz: what could be more off-beat but essentially American than a bone-dry sparkling wine made from blueberries, Bluet Champagne Method; or a US-grown apple cider such as Eve’s Cidery Dry Sparkling cider? If you’re sticking to wine, look to New York’s Finger Lakes for bubbly (Damiani, Dr Konstantin Frank, Hermann J. Wiemer).
• White: Jura, sous voile, vin jaune or ouillé (Domaine du Pélican, Tissot).
• Amber/orange: go for amphorae/qvevri-aged wines from Friuli or Georgia (Gravner, Gotsa, Chona’s Marani).
• Rosé: look for earthy, idiosyncratic pinks, such as Clos Cibonne’s Tibouren or the iconic, fully mature R Lopéz de Heredia Rioja Gran Reserva Viña Tondonia.
• Red: embrace the thrilling field blends from California’s heritage vineyards (Bedrock, Carlisle, Forlorn Hope, Turley) or search out rare Italian varieties (try Pelaverga Piccolo).
• Dessert: Madeira might be considered the most traditional of dessert wines and has a long history in the US—Thomas Jefferson and George Washington both had a lifelong love of the wine—but it’s also an insider wine. Blandy’s and Barbeito lead the way (look for the brilliant Ricardo Freitas’s Historic Wine Series).
• Post-prandial: Apple brandy from the historic Laird & Company Distillery in New Jersey, or maybe the walnut or wild quince liqueurs from Distillerie Cazottes in south-west France.

Philistines—going by the Oxford Dictionary definition (“a person who is hostile or indifferent to culture and the arts”) and applying it to wine, which is why we’re here, the hard reality for us wine lovers is that festive gatherings of loved ones can be defined by total disregard for what is in the glass. As a wine lover, this situation requires careful handling. You want a beverage that you want to drink, but also something with universal appeal. Do not break the bank.

• Cocktail: Punch-House Spritz.
• Fizz: Valdobbiadene Prosecco (Adami, Bellenda, Ruggeri).
• White: Oregon chardonnay (Adelsheim, Phelps Creek, and Wetzel).
• Rosé: Provence—just avoid the celebrity brands which tend to be overpriced and overproduced and look instead for wines such as Commanderie de la Bargemone, Bieler Père et Fils, Ch La Gordonne.
• Red: Bojo and its slim-tannin, bright-fruit ilk are the wines to look for here: Beaujolais (Guy Breton, Chapel, Dominique Piron), Oregon gamay (Brick House, Love & Squalor) or California Valdiguié, aka Napa gamay (Broc, Cruse Wine Co, J Lohr).
• Dessert: who can resist an island wine? Try Donnafugata Ben Ryé Passito from Pantelleria, or a Samos muscat.
• Post-prandial: Bourbon. 

Allsorts—the nightmare mix of wine-snobbish, teetotal, beverage-obsessed, glug-anything, brand-name-dependent, as-long-as-its-sweet-and-fizzy, big-spenders, and tight-as-ebenezer friends and relatives. Everyone is a martyr to compromise. You need easy-drinking, good-quality, crowd-pleaser wines that will have enough fruit and freshness to go with anything.

• Cocktail: DIY (a table laden with vodka, gin, random mixers—hide the fancy tonics—a jug of sugar syrup, a pile of lemons, mountains of ice and leave them to get on with it).
• Fizz: Cava (Gramona, Juvé y Camps, Mestres, Sumarroca).
• White: Alentejo whites—delicious, inexpensive (Herdade do Rocim, Quinta do Mouro, Susana Esteban).
• Rosé: Rioja knows how to make food-friendly rosado, packed with fruit at good-value prices (CVNE, Marqués de Cáceres, Muga).
• Red: Argentine malbec (Vistalba, Zorzal, Zuccardi).
• Dessert: a younger Australian stickie (Campbells, Chambers Rosewood Vineyards, De Bortoli).
• Post-prandial: Rye whiskey. 

Thanksgiving is a time to be with people. I don’t often say this, but let the wine take a step back. 

Tamlyn Currin is a sustainability editor, staff writer, and resident food maven at JancisRobinson.com. For more international wine coverage and expert pairing advice, become a member.

The post Best Wines for Thanksgiving Dinner appeared first on Saveur.

If you’ve ever hosted Thanksgiving, you know how easy it can be to miss your own party. After all, the turkey won’t roast itself, and there are no pre-dinner drinks without someone there to mix them—right? Wrong. Enter the big-batch cocktail, which you can make hours ahead of time and serve in a pitcher or punch bowl. As guests help themselves, you’ll be doing exactly what you’re supposed to: spending quality time with family and friends. Here are our 13 best big-batch cocktails for a crowd.   

Book Club Sangría

This sweet-tart wine punch, enlivened with fresh orange, lemon, and lime, was a favorite refreshment at the Junior League of Houston book club in the 1970s. 

Punch House Spritz

Fresh grapefruit juice gives this four-ingredient punch its citrusy kick, while the rosé lambrusco brings the bubbles. Nothing says “it’s a party” like a punch bowl filled with fizzy pink booze.

Negroni Sbagliato Sangría

It seems like divine intervention that mere weeks before Thanksgiving the cocktail sweeping America is the negroni sbagliato (you know, with prosecco in it), a bubbly, cranberry-red tipple that’s festive enough for the holidays and boozy enough to help put up with your weird uncle. We’ve batched the viral drink—and added a bit of campy Thanksgiving flair (rosé vermouth, come through!)—to dream up the world’s first sbagliato sangría.

El Quijote Sangría

Up your entertaining game with this pitch-perfect sangría from one of America’s most storied Spanish restaurants.

Touch of Evil Punch

This fruity, slightly smoky gin and raspberry punch has just enough mezcal to make it interesting, without making it too pungent or cloying. The recipe comes from cocktail historian David Wondrich, author of Punch: The Delights (and Dangers) of the Flowing Bowl.

Cape Cod Royale Punch

Remember the Seabreeze cocktail? It was born of Massachusetts’ wealth of cranberries and inspired this crimson punch made with gin, rosemary syrup, and champagne.

Punch à la Taylor

Whiskey, tamarind, and a pleasantly bitter gentian-flavored liqueur combine in this elegant punch concocted by New York City cocktail bar The Dead Rabbit.

Carawayed

Rye whiskey, caraway, and chai masala are a match made in heaven, as proven by this autumnal punch garnished with pear slices. 

Watermelon Gin Punch with Himalayan Salt

Smoky and slightly sulfurous Himalayan black salt is the secret ingredient in this pink gin punch flavored with pink peppercorns and black tea. If you can find it, seek out Hapusa Himalayan Dry Gin, which is distilled with wild Himalayan juniper berries and other Indian botanicals. 

Wedding Punch

The perfumy and refreshing blend of elderflower liqueur, dry vermouth, and prosecco makes this gentle cocktail a year-round standby. In the colder months, opt for fresh cranberries for a seasonally-appropriate garnish.

Zombie

At Chicago tiki temple Three Dots and a Dash, a must-try drink is this high-octane rum cocktail redolent of cinnamon and grapefruit that’s served in a skull-shaped glass. 

Leaf and Spear

This zany, bright-green cocktail courtesy of Los Angeles’s A.O.C. Wine Bar combines kale-infused rum and green harissa syrup.

Caribbean Sorrel

Not to be confused with the tart leafy green that goes by the same name, sorrel is what Jamaicans call hibiscus. In this nonalcoholic cocktail, the sepals of the deep pink flowers steep with soul-warming spices and sugar to make a heady, floral beverage. 

The post 13 Best Big-Batch Cocktails for Thanksgiving appeared first on Saveur.

It seems like divine intervention that mere weeks before Thanksgiving the cocktail sweeping America is the negroni sbagliato (you know, with prosecco in it), a bubbly, cranberry-red tipple that’s festive enough for the holidays and boozy enough to help put up with your weird uncle. Since making individual cocktails for a crowd can be a drag, we’ve batched the viral drink—and added a bit of campy Thanksgiving flair (rosé vermouth, come through!)—to dream up the world’s first sbagliato sangría.

Note: This recipe makes a healthy 2 quarts of sangría (excluding ice). Halved, it will fit into one standard-size pitcher. If you want to make a full batch but don’t own a punch bowl or very large pitcher (or, alternatively, two regular-size ones), mix the sangría omitting the ice and/or sparkling wine and add them to glasses individually at serving time.

The post Negroni Sbagliato Sangría appeared first on Saveur.

Kahwa is a Kashmiri-style green tea, which is typically flavored with spices, saffron, honey, and almonds. Chef Romy Gill served this kahwa tea recipe, which is adapted from her cookbook On the Himalayan Trail, with dessert after cooking with SAVEUR editorial director Kat Craddock, though it also makes a wonderful morning beverage or or afternoon pick-me-up on a cold winter day. Look for dark, green Kashmiri-style tea leaves at your local South Asian market, or order them online from Kalustyan’s.

Featured in: “Don’t Fear the Dinner Party: Toasting Romy Gill’s Cookbook from Home.”

The post Kahwa (Kashmiri Spiced Honey Tea) appeared first on Saveur.

The old-fashioned is a descendant of the even older “whisky cocktail”—a combination of grain spirit, bitters, sugar, and citrus that was popular in the early 19th century. This drink started out as an eye opener and hangover cure and the name evolved over the course of what David Wondrich describes as the “Golden Age” of cocktails (1830s–1860s), when bartenders began to incorporate various syrups and ingredients. To order the classic whisky cocktail, customers began to ask for it “the old-fashioned way,” and so the spirit-forward staple was born.

The first written account of the old-fashioned—though one made with gin—appears in Jerry Thomas’ 1866 bartending guide How to Mix Drinks: The Bon Vivant’s Companion. By the 1880’s, the whisky version was ubiquitous in bars from Manhattan to Washington D.C. to San Francisco. These days, most old-fashioned drinkers opt for bourbon or rye, but it’s important to note that any aged spirit is suitable for this classic cocktail. In 2007, at New York City’s Death & Co., bartender Phil Ward created a delicious, mezcal-based version that has since been adopted as a standard serve around the world. Meanwhile, Korbel brandy is the popular old-fashioned choice in Chicago and elsewhere in the Midwest. The State of Wisconsin even has its own variation, which includes a muddled maraschino cherry, an orange slice, and a splash of soda water or Sprite. Some purists object to this fruity and diluted formula, but as the whole point of the old-fashioned is the freedom to enjoy your spirit just the way you like it, there’s technically no “right” way to mix one. 

For the traditional whisky recipe, many bartenders prefer rye over bourbon for its drier, spicier flavor profile. I particularly enjoy Rittenhouse or Old Forester 100. Whichever you choose, I recommend using a spirit bottled in the 50–52% ABV range; these stronger pours boast more intense aromas and flavors than lower-ABV options (and are less susceptible to over-dilution if you prefer to take your time enjoying your drink). I also like to sweeten my old-fashioned with a “rich” simple syrup made from 2 parts sugar to 1 part water rather than the typical 1:1 ratio. This results in a less diluted drink with a better texture than one made with a more watered-down liquid. (To make your own, follow the standard simple syrup recipe—just double the sugar.)

Classic Old-Fashioned Recipe

Wisconsin Old-Fashioned

The post Old-Fashioned appeared first on Saveur.

Alexander Murray & Company’s brand manager Cameron Johnston designed this old fashioned cocktail to appeal to anyone who enjoys a whisky-based drink; chamomile syrup and Dalwhinnie 15 Year combine for a delicate cocktail with a still-smoky finish.

Featured in: “21 Cocktails for our 21st Birthday.”

20 Easy Summer Cocktails to Celebrate July 4th

Hot days are for cold cocktails. Sometimes an old standby hits the spot—a salt-rimmed margarita, maybe, or a refreshing mint julep sweetened with slow-steeped syrup. Other times, when we want to impress friends and family, we like eliciting oohs and aahs with zanier numbers like the Flor de Jalisco, which swaps in tequila for the rum and adds flor de jamaica for a vivid pink hue. No matter the occasion, we’ve got you covered.

The post Floral Old Fashioned appeared first on Saveur.

The Corpse Reviver No. 2 is a classic cocktail from the Savoy Cocktail Book (1930), a seminal compilation of recipes and lore by the then-head barman at London’s grand Savoy Hotel. Bright, botanical, and pleasantly astringent, it’s the most enduring of the many so-called Corpse Revivers, a family of cocktails created in the 19th century that was named for its purported hangover-curing properties. The introduction to the original recipe reads, tellingly, “Four of these taken in swift succession will unrevive the corpse again.”

The Best Martini Glasses Are as Unique as the Way You Take Your Drink

Whatever kind of cocktail you prefer, you don’t need much to mix them up at home. When it comes to the best martini tools, glassware should be considered alongside stir spoons and strainers. Here are the best martini glasses to set you up for sipping success, with some guidance from those who know best.

The post Corpse Reviver No. 2 appeared first on Saveur.

Orhul. Bissap. Sobolo. Sorrel. Flor de Jamaica. Roselle. Depending on where in the world you find yourself, you may encounter a variety of beverages going by disparate names but sharing two distinct traits: a striking, saturated red hue, and an equally vibrant tart and bracing taste. What these drinks all have in common is hibiscus, a flowering plant which grows in temperate to tropical zones around the globe, most notably in Mauritius, India, Indonesia, Polynesia, and Hawaii. The origins of hibiscus are unclear, though European scientific records dating back to the mid-18th century indicate that it was by then already present in Asia and the South Pacific.

The hibiscus genus, of which there are some 400 varieties, is a hardy bush that produces not only its trademark flowers, but also pod-like fruits called calyxes. While the majority of hibiscus plants are known for their ornamental blooms, one strain, Hibiscus sabdariffa, is wholly edible, from roots to leaves to flowers. The calyxes are the part most widely used for making beverages; these may be consumed fresh, but it’s far more common to find them dried, typically in Caribbean, Latin, West African, and Asian markets. Hibiscus drinks are a homestyle staple in many of these cultures, though until recently the ingredient didn’t have much of a cocktail presence. As the popularity of tropical and Latin bars and restaurants grows, however, I’ve noticed hibiscus popping up more and more on drink menus. In fact, the first time I ever tasted it was in a bar.

My first encounter with hibiscus came when I was working as beverage Director at Gladys Caribbean, a now-shuttered Brooklyn restaurant which had a tightly edited food menu influenced by Jamaican jerk. The drink selection took its cues from the island too, in an effort to recreate the experience of eating at an open-air Caribbean road- or beachside stand. 

In Jamaica, sorrel is as ubiquitous as sweet tea is in my native South Carolina, though the American South has its own rich “red drink” tradition as well. Red berry-flavored beverages are a fixture at Juneteenth celebrations—particularly those in Texas and along the Louisiana Gulf Coast. Since the 18th Century, South Carolina’s Geechee Gullah community has grown hibiscus plants brought over from Africa to make infusions similar to the Nigerian bissap and Senegalese sobolo I mentioned earlier.   

I started to look deeper into hibiscus drinks and was pleasantly surprised by what I learned: Hardly exclusive to the Caribbean, the ingredient is also popular in Mexico, West Africa, and Southeast Asia. Both hot and cold hibiscus drinks can be made by steeping the calyxes, leaves, flowers, or all three. Some are simple water infusions, sweetened with sugar, while others are enhanced with spices, citrus, and even mint. With that said, I would like to introduce you to three must-try styles of hibiscus drinks, spanning traditions from West Africa, to the Caribbean, to Latin America.

Back to the Roots: Bissap

In Nigeria and Senegal, hibiscus leaves and flowers are used to create a tea called bissap, which is traditionally enjoyed chilled, flavored with sugar, lemon juice, ginger, and mint. In Ghana, this drink is more commonly known as sobolo, and sometimes incorporates pineapple juices and local peppers. The result—a bright and zesty beverage packed with vitamin C, antioxidants, and antimicrobials—is considered by many to be the ultimate wellness drink, flushing toxins from the system while boosting overall immunity. My favorite bissap/sobolo to sip on is the bottled version from Bosuo, produced in New York City by Ghanian expat Afuya Ayisi. Scented with both mint and vanilla, it’s the perfect companion to a summer picnic or beach jaunt. While I adore it on its own, Bosuo is also delicious in cocktails and mocktails, and it’s particularly lovely topped with grapefruit soda or sparkling wine, or mixed with agave spirits. If you’re a newcomer to hibiscus, I suggest starting here: incorporate bissap into a cocktail by using it as the juice/tea element in a gin punch, or in lieu of cranberry juice in a cosmo riff. The infusion has a similar tartness, but with a slightly earthier complexity than classic cran.

Spice it Up: Caribbean Sorrel 

When West Africans were trafficked to Caribbean and American sugar plantations via the triangular slave trade, they carried with them ingredients from their home continent. It’s in the Caribbean that African bissap meets spices imported from Southeast Asia and the Amazonian Rainforest, including clove, cassia cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger. These global flavors were eventually added to the simple red drink, imparting additional layers of complexity and aroma. Sorrel—now a ubiquitous beverage in Jamaica, Barbados, and throughout the Caribbean, is far punchier than its West African predecessor, delightful on its own or used as a vehicle for local rum. In my book, TIKI: Modern Tropical Cocktails, I use sorrel as the base for a festive punch, mixed with black tea, pineapple juice, and two types of bitters.

Speaking of cocktails, if you would like to make your own mixed drinks with sorrel, I highly recommend Sorel Liqueur. Created by Jackie Summers, a Brooklyn native with Barbadian roots, Sorel clocks in at 15% ABV. It makes for a bright and punchy addition to cocktails or can even be sipped straight, like a juicy, spicy Shiraz.   

Take it Easy: Agua de Jamaica

Inevitably hibiscus made it over to the North American continent, which had its own sugar trade, albeit on a much smaller scale than the one that dominated the Caribbean economy for the better part of 300 years. In Mexico, a hibiscus drink called agua de jamaica flourished, and to this day it goes head-to-head with horchata as the country’s go-to thirst quencher. Even simpler than bissap, agua de jamaica fits neatly into Mexico’s tradition of fruit-forward aguas frescas. While not ordinarily mixed with spirits in Mexico, I have found this refreshing infusion to be a delicious component in margarita or paloma riffs. I like to make a concentrated version by doubling up on the sugar, then using it like simple syrup, or even as a colorful float.  

Recipes

Caribbean Sorrel

Get the recipe >

Agua de Jamaica

Get the recipe >

Flor de Jalisco

Get the recipe >

The post From Jamaica to Senegal, This Crimson Infusion Reigns Supreme appeared first on Saveur.

On the ground floor of Manhattan’s iconic Hotel Chelsea, neighborhood barflies—including many of New York City’s great creative minds—have long holed up in the kitchy El Quijote bar. Alongside massive helpings of lobster, paella, and chorizo, pitchers of vibrant red sangría were by far the drink pairing of choice from the time the restaurant opened in 1930 until it shuttered in 2018. 

This spring, the beloved El Quijote reopened, now under new management, and bar manager Brian Evans felt it was important to honor the establishment’s storied history with a similar sangría recipe, albeit refreshed and updated for the contemporary palate. His recipe starts with a base of light and fruity garnacha wine, which he spikes with Spanish brandy and Bonanto, a bitter, white-wine-based aperitif flavored with 30 Mediterranean botanicals, sweet cherry, and orange peel. A few drops of store-bought balsamic reduction and a splash of cinnamon syrup enhances the sweetness, body, and complexity of the iced cocktail. Evans batches the drink out by the gallon ahead of time, and just before serving, he transfers the mix into a pitcher of ice and fresh, sliced citrus, then tops everything off with lemon juice and a froth of effervescent Cava. The result is at once thoroughly retro and deliciously current.

Featured in “Pitcher-Perfect Sangría Recipes to Sip Through All Season.”

The post El Quijote Sangría appeared first on Saveur.

On a chilly, sunny January morning, I arrive at Oyster Club, a relaxed restaurant in Paris’ Marais neighborhood, just a short walk from the Seine. The city is still waking up and inside the restaurant, the only sounds are the purr and rattle of the espresso machine. Sunlight streams in through the large, street-facing windows and spills over the wooden bar. The decor is rustic-nautical, with reclaimed wooden tables and porthole mirrors adorning the walls. Mollusks from Brittany and Normandy are the house specialty. 

It’s a shade before 10 in the morning when Adèle Grunberger and Tanguy Thomassin, the young proprietors, offer me a huître. Thomassin speedily shucks then hands me a single shivering oyster. “You have to eat the adductor muscle,” he says. “A lot of people leave that behind.” I do as told and my mouth salivates instantly, flooded with the taste of the sea. If only it weren’t too early for a sip of cold wine to go with. As it happens, that’s what we’re there to chat about: the best wines to pair with raw, briny oysters. 

According to an age-old rule of thumb, oyster season runs from September through April, also called the “R months.” Abstaining from oysters during the summer months is partly a reproduction issue; the annual spawning period renders oysters “laiteuse,” or filled with a milky liquid, giving them a creamier mouth feel that most people—around 80 percent of consumers, according to some counts—don’t like. (Though I should note, some, including my mother-in-law, relish their oysters laiteuse.) It was also a refrigeration issue. According to Thomassin, coastal locations aside, oysters had to be transported long distances by horse-and-carriage, sans cooler. You can imagine why it became commonplace to avoid such a fine delicacy during the dog days of summer. 

These days, you can find good oysters year-round. “The peak reproduction period usually lasts less than a month,” says Thomassin, and to adjust for that window of time, Oyster Club sources from multiple producers to avoid serving laiteuse varieties. 

When considering the oyster, certain flavor profiles come to mind: briny, creamy, metallic. On their own, the species may or may not be an aphrodisiac, but washed down with the perfect wine, it’s hard to argue with the fact that they make you feel a certain way. The classic French pairing, according to Grunberger and Thomassin, is Muscadet from the Loire Valley. Made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, Muscadet has high acidity, a touch of salinity—which plays particularly well off the oyster’s brininess—and characteristic mineral notes. “Our clients love minerality with oysters,” Grunberger tells me. 

Wines made with the chenin blanc grape, which also has high acidity, are never a bad idea. One of Grunberger and Thomassin’s favorites include a Savennières from Domaine des Forges. The dry white from the Loire River’s north bank is cultivated on schist soils covered with aeolian sands, which impart a deep, oyster-friendly minerality. Thomassin hands me a bottle of an organic chenin blanc from a family-run vineyard in Chinon, Domaine de la Marinière; when I taste it later, it’s tannic and dynamic, with bright acidity that calls out for shellfish.

Another characteristic Thomassin suggests consumers keep in mind is alcohol level. “We try to serve light wines because the oyster is so subtle,” he says. “Too much alcohol will dominate the flavor and leave no room for the oyster.” 

Oyster Club also recommends dry Champagne or any similar sparkling wines. Cremant from the Jura or Loire Valley, for example, complements oysters’ salty-sweet “noisette” flavor. When I suggest that the increasingly trendy pét-nat might hold its own, both Grunberger and Thomassin agree, especially if you’re after a wine with a gentler effervescence, as natural fermentation tends to produce softer bubbles. Grunberger further suggests that an edgy orange wine—with pithy citrus notes and a tinge of bitterness—can also provide an interesting counterbalance to the oyster’s brininess. One of her favorites is Orange Is The New White, a skin-contact pét-nat from André Kleinknecht in Alsace.

Winemakers, of course, have their own strategies for pairing with oysters. According to Marianne Fabre-Lanvin, co-founder of Souleil, a new organic wine company from southern France, terroir can also be your guide. Like long-lost siblings, wine and oysters produced in the same region have an undeniable correspondence. 

“For our white wine, we use a grape called piquepoul,” Fabre-Lanvin tells me. “It’s indigenous to a specific area in the South of France and has a rare salinity because the soil gets a lot of salted water from a nearby lagoon and the Mediterranean. Enjoyed together, both the wine and oysters are especially refreshing.”

That said, while terroir can be a guide, Fabre-Lanvin doesn’t feel it should be a limitation. “I had oysters with a friend in New York the other night,” she says. “We paired Long Island oysters with Souleil’s white and it was perfect.” 

An oyster aficionado raised in the South of France, you might say Fabre-Lanvin and her business partner, Thomas Delaude, developed their white wine with a plate of raw oysters in mind—I can attest, the combination makes for a sublime apéro. In fact, the pair are so passionate about aquatic creatures that Souleil directly supports nonprofits that protect them. Said Marianne, “Thomas and I grew up next to the Mediterranean, so we launched our company to help shine a light on nonprofits that focus on ocean preservation. Our team participates in their clean-up events, and we rally our friends to make a greater impact.”

Made largely with grenache, Souleil’s rosé also makes a fine match for oysters. “It’s an indulgent pairing, especially in warmer months,” Fabre-Lanvin explains. “They’re both lush and gourmand.” Dry rosé often goes well with oysters, she adds, so long as it’s well-chilled, so that the fruit notes do not overpower the seafood. “But it shouldn’t be too cold either,” she warns. 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit is a good target.

Inspired by these conversations, I later decide to travel to Cancale, a small town in Brittany known for its oyster market. Oyster Club sources some of their oysters here, as did Louis XIV—rumor has it he had the town’s fresh mollusks delivered to Versailles daily. The market is perched alongside the Mont Saint-Michel bay, overlooking rows of oyster beds. Seagulls swoop for emptied shells discarded like shrapnel beside the plankton-filled water. 

Together with my husband, Guillaume, and my daughter, Mimi, we peruse the handful of blue-and-white-striped stalls, each offering a selection of oysters for as little as five euros a dozen. We choose a vendor—a woman wearing the local uniform of puffer jacket and rubber wellies—then idle while she shucks as effortlessly as one might butter a toasted bagel. Nearby, a few people stand in line by a wine truck selling cold bottles of Muscadet and Sancerre, the din of the market occasionally punctuated by the pop of another bottle being uncorked.

With our plate of oysters, adorned by a single halved lemon, we sit on the stone steps between the market and the bay. I pass Guillaume the chilly cremant stashed in my tote bag. He gives it some muscle, and pop, our drinks are ready. Mimi stomps on piles of empty shells, evidence of many a satisfied customer, as Guillaume and I toss back the briny, faintly nutty oysters—adductor muscle and all—and sip the bright and minerally sparkling wine. It’s as fine a pairing as nature could have created. We polish off a dozen in minutes, along with our wine, and a hazy contentment settles over me.

Recipe

Oysters with Griddled Lemon “Curd”

The post Raw Bar Season is Upon Us—Here’s What 3 French Wine Pros Pair With Their Oysters appeared first on Saveur.